Opinion

On behalf of the North Central District Board of Health and the public health director, congratulations go out to the Spencer County Health Coordinator Leigh Stratton and the employees of the Spencer County Health Department for receiving an exemplary report for services rendered and for their overall operation of the facility.

Recently, an audit was conducted by the Commonwealth of Kentucky’s Health and Human Services Division and the Spencer County Health Department was successfully compliant in 649 categories out of 650.

By CURTIS OCHS
Solid Waste Coordinator for Spencer County

I’m sure you didn’t notice, but I was absent from my post at The Spencer Magnet at the end of the week last week. My husband and I took a much needed trip to Chicago.
I won’t linger on that, except to mention my bravery in stepping out onto the Skydeck at the Willis Tower. It makes one a wee bit woozy to step out onto glass, see-through flooring 103 floors up in the air. But I did it and have pictures to prove it.

By law, publicly elected bodies do not have to hear comment from those who literally put them in their places, and for a while the Taylorsville City Commission didn’t.
However, within the past couple months, the commission has started taking public comment, but as we pointed out a few weeks ago, there is a catch.
According to the city’s policy, which is spelled out on agendas for regularly scheduled meetings, citizens wishing to address the commission must make their requests known by noon on the Friday before the Tuesday meeting.

Eight years ago, I sat figuratively where the Spencer County High School class of 2011 will be sitting on Friday night.
I donned my cap and gown and stared into the face of my future.
I was lucky enough in 2003 to have the privilege of addressing my classmates with a speech. I’m lucky enough in 2011 to have the privilege of giving a little bit of advice to this year’s graduates as they stare into their own futures.

The people of Taylorsville need to demand more openness from their mayor and city commissioners. It sometimes seems as if they have forgotten they are elected officials – not appointed or hired by a private entity.
For weeks, the commission has been deliberating issues like water and sewer rates, city worker pay, solicitation ordinances, emergency response efforts and more. Those are important issues about which the public should be demanding to know more.
But the meetings are sparsely attended, and it’s time to look at why.

I am not an exemplary figure when it comes to good sleeping habits. In the past, and even sometimes now, I sleep whenever I can. I also tend to be a night owl and a morning zombie, so the idea of early to bed and early to rise is one I am working to embrace, but I definitely have progress to make in that area.

By Jim Waters, Guest Columnist

I’ve never claimed to have all the answers, but I do have many questions about the world.

Some involve personal annoyances:
Why do so many people who go to Wal-Mart enter through the “Exit” doors and exit through the doors clearly marked “Enter?”

Why is it that so many gas stations now require you to prepay at the pump with your credit card, but then still make you go inside to get the receipt?

Cartoonist Ed Gamble takes a look at the recent WikiLeaks drama.